Valve-gear for engines.



No. 685,490. Patented Oct. 29, [90L 0. nnsmson; VALVE GEAR FOR ENGINES.

. (Application filed Apr. 27, 1900.]

5 Shams-Sheet I.

INVENTOI? (No Model.)

WITNESSES.-

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685,490. Patented-Oct. 29, Will. C. ROBINSON.

VALVE GEAR FDR ENGINES.

(Application filed Apr. 27, 1900.

We flmdem 5 Shee1s-$heet 2.

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-Pat ented Oct. 29', mm.

5 SheetsSheet 3.

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c. ROBINSON. VALVE GEAR FOR ENGINES. (Application filed Apr. 27, 1900.)

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(No Model.)

w/msss s No. 685,490 I Patented Oct. 29, 3981.

C. ROBINSON.

VALVE GEAR FOB ENGINES.

(Application filed Apr. 27, 1900.;

(N1 Model.) 7 I 5 Sheefs-Sheet 4 BY; Ar o/MIMI s i j enginesin such manner asto insure the ad- .i To alltwhorrgl i t. may oaitcern:

PATENT Games.

oYR s ROBINSON, o EDeE Qon i aarz, PENNSYLVANIA, Assicnon T r THnWEsrrNe-no sEMAcnmn coni ApY, cosromrrou or PENN-I SYLVANIA. I

. -Iv rys5e1EAsres shcrass,

. sncmcarxon forming part crhett rsliete t a eeaeeo, dated cam er 29, 190;.

- .f,lu nmcitiimtgl mz l.1900i?saris mitate. gnomes.

(Be it know, gthatl, CYRUS ROB1Nsomasub- ;jec'tof the Quemof Great Britain, residing at Ed eweod ParkJn the founty of Allegheny and tate of Penusylvaiiia, have invented .a

a new and useful Improvement in Valve-Gear for Fluid-Pressure Engines, of which the following isa specification. My luvention relates to engines operated byv steam or other fluid .under pressure. and

. particularly to mechanism for operating ther inletand exhaust valves of such'mcc-hanism. V The ob ectof my invention is to providea simpleand efficient mechanism for operating the inlet and exhaust valves of fluid-pressure.

' mission'jof fluid pressureto the cylinders durjug approximately the; full stroke of thepis ton and toqnickly and accurately cut oif the supply to the cylinder when the desired limit has been reached. With these ends in view 1 I have devised thenreans 'shown in the ac-.

. companying drawingsyin 'whieh- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cylindercontaining portion of a vertical steam-engine, a portion of the frame supporting the same, and the valve-operating mechanism.) Fig. 2' is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the opposite sideof the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection'takerrou line III III of Fig. 8. FtgJet is arear elevation of the apparatus I shown inlFigs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion. of the operating mechanism for therlower inlet-valve; Fl". 6 is aview, Partially in side elevation a v partially in section, of the operating mechanism for the upper inlet-valve. Fig.7 is a view, partially in side elevation and part'a llypin section, of the mechanism for :operatin the upper esh'austvalve. Fig. Sis a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

' The mechanism shown and described is em? ployed in connection with a vertically-acting steam-engine; but this presentation of the inthrough the top of the cylinder.

' plojyedr Such assumption is made for no other purpose, however, and is expressly disclaimed as a limitation upon the invention.

llheengiue-cylinder 1 has an inlet-port 2 at one side and an outlet-port 3 at the other, which communicate, through suitable passages in the upper and lower cylinder-heads .4 and 5, with the interior of the lincrfi in ac cordance with the operation ofrthje .valves,

which will be hereinafter described, so as to reciprocate the piston which is connected with the engine-shafthy the rod 8 and a pit "man and crank not shown) i-nthe usual manner. Each of-the valves is of the puppet type,

and'both of the inleta'aivest) and 10 are con- I nected to a single eccentric a dhpen upward-1y, the bottom valve 10 being otfset from the cylinder to permit of this mode of ope'ration. The vexhaust wilves are-also bpthoperated from a single eccentric and occhpy'substantially the same relative positions as the two inletvalves.

The valve 9, for admitting steam to the cylinder above the pistonfi's provided with a stem 11, that projects upwardly through a snitable stuffing-box, and at its upper end is provided with a piston 12, that operates in aicylinder 13, a coiled spring'lt being located in the cylinder above the piston and having its upper. end engaged by a disk 15, that is adjustable by means of a screwlti, projecting The bottom of the cylinder is provided with an adjustable release-valve 17, so that the rapidity of the down ward movement of the piston under theaction of thespriii'g'maybe adj ustedfas may be'desired. The spring will'serve th automatically close thevalve when permitted to act, as willbe readily understoodgbut any other suitable means may be employed, and hence I do not desire to limit my'invention to-"what is here shown. der suitable pressure may be employed in lieu of the spring for forcing the piston downward, or a vacuum-pot construction, such as is ordinarily employed for closing Corliss-englue valves, may'be'used in lieu of the construction shown.

Adjustablymounted on the stem 11 below the closing-valve just described is arack 18.

For example, air un- 'ectim arm 25, the two hein either ri idl I {1 b b parts of the same structure, they being shown providedwwith a knock-off lover or arm 30,

irnisonthe adj nstment-of which is efiected by means of a screw-threaded connection with the stem, a lock-nut 19 being also employed in connection therewith. Any other adjusting means that is found suitable and desirable may be employed.

Loosoly mounted upon a shaft 20, that is supported in suitable bearingson 'the upper cylinder-head adjacent to the valve'i), is a gear-segment 21, the teeth of which mesh with the rack 18 on the piston-stem 11 and the hub of which is provided with an up wardly-projecting block 22, the two being preferably integral. The face of this block adjacent'to the valve-stem is provided with a case hardened-steel face 23, the purpose of which will be hereinafter stated. v

'Rigidly mounted upon the shaft 20 is the inner end of an operating-lever 24, such-inner end being provided with an upwardly-profastened together or constituting integral in the drawings as joined by means of an integralslecve26. ,(See Fig.8.) Rigidlymounted in the upper end of the arm is a pin 27, on which is rigidly mounteda laterallyproje cting arm.28, the lower face of which is provided with a'case-hardened-steel plate 29, the inper edge of which constitutesa hook. for en'gagementwith the steel face 2-3 of the block- 22 on the goat-segment 21. The pin 27 is also that is suitably keyed or splincd thereto or otherwise fastened sons to have no movement of rotation thereon, this arm or lever havingacertain definite angular position with reference to the hooked arm 28. Loosely mounted on the shaft/beneath the knock-off lever 30 is "a sleeve 31, having a cam 32 so located as to engage the knock-off lever at the proper time, and thus raise it and the hook so as to release the block 22, the operation of these parts being hereinafter more fully set forth. The sleeve 31 is also provided with a downwardly-projecting lug or, car to which is pivoted one end'of a horizontally-extending reach-rod 3t, the outer end of this rod being pivoted to one arm of a hcltcrank lever 35, that is mounted on a suitable pin or stud 36. The other arm of the brH-crauk lever is ooui'iccted, by means of a vertical rod 737, to an arm 38, that is rigidly n'muut'cd on one end oi a horizontal rocksliutt fl rt, the. other curl of said shaft being provided with a bell-crank lever M), like lever of the rod and an adj usting-screw 43 for moving such block longitudinally in its seat. Any other suitable adjusting means may be employed, if desired.

The lower inlet-valve 10 and the means for closing it maybe the same as the corresponding parts located at the upper end of the cylinder and which have'alrea'dy been described. The inechanismsfor opening and closing the lower inlet-valve are also the same as those already'described, except that the shaft 20", on which the lever 41, the gear-segment 21, and the sleeve 31' are mounted, is located on the opposite side of the valve, and consequently the gear-segment, the block 22", the arm 25 and its pin 27, hooked arm'28', and knock-off lever'30f, and the cam 32 are oppositely disposed from the corresponding parts already described, this arrangement being made in order that the two valves may be reversely operated-that is to say, so that when one is closed the other is opened, and vice versa, this being obviously necessary in order that the piston may be reciprocated in the desired manner. v I

The pin 44, which connects the lower'end of the connecting-rod 40 to lever 41, also carries one end of a rod 45, that is connected at its other end, to an eccentric on the main shaft of the engine, su'chpart being of usual construction well known therefore not shown. The boll-cranklev'er 39 is also connected, by means of a suitable rod 46, to the engine-governor, which is not shown and which may be of any well-known type that is suitable for the purposei The mechanism for closing the inlet-valve "10- may be the same in construction asthat employed for closing the valve 9, and I have therefore deemed it unnecessary to repeat the illustration and description of such mechanism.

Mounted on a suitable short shaft or stud 47 at the side opposite to the mechanism just described is a wrist-plate 48, having three arms 49, 50, and 51, the laterally-projecting arm 49 being connected,- by meansof a rod 52, to an eccentric (not shown) on the main shaft of the engine. The upper arm 50 of wristplate is connected, by means of a link or rod, 53, the length of which is preferably adj ustable, as indicated at 54, to the outer endvof a lever 55, said lever being pivotally mounted upon-a suitable bracket-56, supported, by the upper head-plate of the cylindor adjacent to the upper GXlHLUSlWYQlVQr The stem 57 0t this exhaust-valve has its upper end su :35, but rcvcrscly disposed.

The outer end of the lever iii-i is connected,-

of a rod 40, to a lever 41, pivoted t to the lower inlet-valve 10, so that s levers 2t and 41 will be operated in The length of this connecting-rod 40 is adjustable in orderthat the valve-operating mechanism may be adjusted to such length of strolls asunay be desired, the adjusting means hero shown being a longitudimy limit and loosely mounted'upon this stem is a rack 59, the upward movement of which on the stem is limited by a collar 60 and the downwvard movement by a coiled spring 61, located betweenthe rack and a collar 62, rigidly fastoned upon the stem. The'inner end of the lever 55 is provided with a goat-segment (33, that meshes ,with the rack 59 on the pistonstem. The lower arm 51 of the wrist-plate is sally-movable bearing-block 42 in each end similarly connected to one end of an arm 5 in the art, and

ported in a bearing in'asuitable bracket 58,

one link or rod 53, the length of "nstable, as indicated at 54*, thn" tilifgppart's being the same as those cribed, except that the gear-sag H ndthe rackfiil, cooperating th'ere- ,are ppositely-dispos'edin orderthajt the Y t o exhanst-fvalves maybe openedan'dialso 'closedwin alternation. It will be seen that if the.exhau'st-valve-operating mechanisms are stimated by the eccentric from the positions f'indicated .in Fig. 2 of the drawings, assuming that the first movement is in the direction indicated by the arrow, the, upper valve will; 1L5 opened. byreason of the lever-androd-ldonnectionand the engagement of the rack jon the valve-stemwith the collar above it. The movement of thearm 51 beyond the position .in'which' it is shown in the drawings obviously serves to depress the rack on the "stem of the lower valve; but since this rack is loose on the stem it will merely compress the'coiled spring without moving the valve or placing any injurious strain upon it or the ;other parts. When the eccentric moves the fwrist-plate in the direction opposite that indicated by the arrovw, the lower valve will be opened in the manner just describedand the coiled spring between the rack and the collar on the, upper valve-stem will permit the arm pass over beyond the center in the manith reference .totthe ,ner already describetl w "lower arm 51.

"The operation o f the inlet-valves is as follows:v Assuming that the eccentric ontthe .135:

main'shaft is in such position that its move- ,7 ,lneutiwill carry the connecting-rod i0 'up- 'w'rard, this movement will carry the upper hookedarm 28 toward the corresponding valve and the lower arm 28 away from the, correspending or lower valve. The lower arm, being in engagement with the block 22, will move the gear-segment, and consequently the rack, and thus open the valve while the upper arm is moving over into position to engage the corresponding block. With this movement of the parts the steam, which is admitted below the piston, will obviously move the piston upward, and if the parts are properlyadjusted the steam will be admitteduntil the piston has nearly completed its stroke, when the lower knock-oif lever will engage 'the corresponding cam and move the hook sufliciently to release the block, when the spring 14 will instantly closethe valve. When 55 i this point is reached, the upper hook will have "moved over to engage V the corresponding 7 ,block and the eccentric will move the parts in the opposite direction, the hook carrying "the block, and consequently the gear-segment and rack, so as to open the upper valve while'thearm 28 is moved to again engage "itsblock. This operation will be repeated so long as the .engineis in operation.

'It will be understood without further description that the governor of the engine will serve, through the bell-crank levers and con --necting-rods, toso adjust theposition of the cams astoinsure the movement of the knockoft levers atsnch' times aswill properly con.-'

; Tirol-the speed l'of 'the engine.

v 71 It will-be readily seen thatthe mechanism shown is simple iniconstruction and positive in operation. andrjthat it-insures a supply of.

steam tothe cylinder for almost thefull length f of the piston-stroke, which is an important featureand a material improvement overthe valve mechanisms heretofore'einployed in the art.

I'desirc it to be understood that the details of the apparatus may be modified within considerable limits-without departing fro spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my'invention 1. In a valve-gear for steam-engines, the combination with puppet inlet-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the enginecylinderand means for closing each of said valves, of a rack. and a gearrsegment for opening each of said valves, lever-and-hook mechanism for actuating said gear-segments, connections between said lever-and-hook mechanisms whereby they are operated simultaneously in opposite directions and means for releasing each valveopenin g means from the corresponding hook-and-leverrnechanism when the desired point in the st of the piston is reached.

2. In a valve-gear for stearn'engi'nes, the combination with puppet inlet-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the enginecylinder and aspring for closingv each of said valves, of a rack and a gear-segmentforopening each of said valves, lever-and hook mech anisr'nforactuating said gear-segment, .con nections between said lever-and-hook lllQCh':

mthe

95 roke IOO log

neously in opposite directions and a knockoif cam and lever for releasing each-valveopeninggear-segment from the corresponding hook-and-lever mechanism when the desired point in the stroke of the piston is reached.

8. In a valve-gear forsteam-engines, the combination with inlet-valves located respectively atopposite ends of the engine-cylinder v v and a spring for closing each of said valves,

of a rack and a gear-segment foropenlng each, of said valves, lever-and-hook mechanism for actuating said gear-segment, conncctionsbe- I, tween said lever-and-hook mechanisms whereby they are operated simultaneously in opposite directions and a knock-off cam and lever for releasing the gear-segment from the hook-and-lever mechanism when the desired point in the stroke of the pistonis reached.

4. In a valve-gear for steam-engines, the combination with inlet-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the engine-cylinder and a spring for closing each valve, pivoted levers having hooked arms, connections betwecirsaid levers whereby they are simultaneously actuated in opposite directions, racks on the valve-stems and gear-segments engaging the said racks and having projections extending into the paths of movement of the leasing the respective gear-segments from the hooked arms when the enginejteaches approximately the correspondingends of its 1 stroke.

5. In a valve-gear for steam-engines, the combination with inlet-valves located respective] y at opposite endsof the engine-cylinder, a spring for closing each of said valves, of a rack and a gear-segment for opening each valve, lever-and-hook mechanism for actuating said gear-segments, connections between said lever-and-hook mechanisms whereby they are simultaneously operated in opposite directions, a knock-off"cam and lever for releasing each gear-segment from the corresponding hoqliand lever mechanism and means for automatically adjusting the position of the cam in accordance with the load upon the engine 6. In a valve-gear forgsteam-engines, the combination with inlet-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the engine-cylinder and a spring acting continuously upon each valve to force it toits seat, of a valve-raising gear for each valve, an operating lever and hook for each valve-raisin g gear, connections for actuating said levers and hooks simultaneously and hook-releasing devices foreach valve, the operative positions of which are dependent upon the engine-governor.

7. In a valve-gear for steam-engines, the combination with inlet and exhaust valves located at the ends of the engine-cylinder, and independently-acting means for closing each valve, of means operatively connected together for opening and releasing the inletvalves alternatelyand means operatively connected togetherfor opening and closing the exhaust-valves alternately.

8. In a valve-gear for steam-engines, the combination with puppet exhaust-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the'engine-cyliuder, lever-and-1ink mechanism opera-tively connected for opening said valves alternately and lost-motion spring connections between said mechanisms and said valves.

9. Ina valve-gear for steam-engines, the

combination with exhaust-valves located respectively at opposite ends of the engine-cylinder, of lever-and-link mechanisms opera tively connected for opening and closing said valves alternately and a lost-motion, spring connection between each valve and the linkand-lever mechanism.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of April, 1900a CYRUS ROBINSON. Witnesses:

I-I. HORNE, SVEND ,EKMAN. 

